Debugging

Handout and project code

The debugger allows you to step through the execution of a program, one line at a time.

Why it Matters

Debugging is an essential programming skill. Sure, you can often find bugs by re-reading
your code looking for mistakes. But for large, complex programs (and sometimes even small ones)
it helps tremendously to see what the computer is actually doing behind the scenes.

Eclipse, like most modern programming environments, comes equipped with a debugger. A debugger is
a handy interface for monitoring programs as they run. With the Eclipse debugger, for example, you
can follow along with your program line by line.